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Mani Peninsula
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The Mani Peninsula (???? in Greek), also long known as Maina or Maïna, is a region in Greece. Mani is the central peninsula of the three which extend southwards from the Peloponnese in southern Greece. To the east is the Laconian Gulf, to the west the Messenian Gulf. The peninsula forms a continuation of the Taygetos mountain range, the western spine of the Peloponnese.
terrain is mountainous and inaccessible.
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Encyclopedia
The Mani Peninsula (???? in Greek), also long known as Maina or Maïna, is a region in Greece. Mani is the central peninsula of the three which extend southwards from the Peloponnese in southern Greece. To the east is the Laconian Gulf, to the west the Messenian Gulf. The peninsula forms a continuation of the Taygetos mountain range, the western spine of the Peloponnese.
Geography
The terrain is mountainous and inaccessible. The name "Mani" is thought to have originally meant "dry" or "treeless." Until recent years many Mani villages could be reached only by sea. Today a narrow and winding road extends down the west coast from Kalamata to Areopoli, then south to Akrotainaro (the pointy cape which is the most southward soil of continental Greece) before it turns north until Gytheio.
Mani has been traditionally divided into three regions:
- Exo Mani (??? ????) or Outer Mani to the northwest,
- Kato Mani (??t? ????) or Lower Mani to the east,
- Mesa Mani (??sa ????) or Inner Mani to the southwest.
A fourth region named Vardounia (?a?d????a) to the north is also sometimes included.
Administratively, Mani is divided between the prefectures of Laconia (Kato Mani, Mesa Mani) and Messenia (Exo Mani), in the periphery of Peloponnesos, but in ancient times it lay entirely within Laconia, the district dominated by Sparta. The Messenian Mani (also called aposkiaderi, local expression meaning "shady") receives somewhat more rainfall than the Laconian (called prosiliaki, local expression meaning "sunny"), and is consequently more fertile. Messenian surnames uniformly end in -eas, whereas Laconian Maniot surnames end in -akos which is an indication of their direct descendancy from the Ancient Spartans.
History
Neolithic remains have been found in many caves along the Mani coasts. Homer refers to a number of towns in the Mani region, and some artifacts from the Mycenaean period have been found. The area was occupied by the Dorians in about 1200 BC, and became a dependency of Sparta. When Spartan power was destroyed in the 3rd century BC, Mani was self-governing for a time before being absorbed into the Roman Empire in the 2nd century BC.
As the power of the Byzantine Empire declined, the peninsula drifted out of the Empire's control. The fortress of Maini in the south became the area's centre. Over the subsequent centuries the peninsula was fought over by the Byzantines, the Franks, and the Saracens.
After the Fourth Crusade in 1204, Italian and French knights (known to the Greeks as Franks), occupied parts of the Peloponnese. In 1249, Mani was occupied by the Venetians, who made it one of the twelve baronies of the Principality of Morea and built the fortresses of Mystras, Passavas, Gustema (Beaufort) and Megali Maini.
In 1460, after the fall of Constantinople, Mystras fell to the Ottomans, but Mani was not subdued and retained its internal self-government in exchange for an annual tribute. Local chieftains or beys governed Mani on behalf of the Ottomans. As Ottoman power declined, the mountains of the Mani became a stronghold of the klephts, bandits who also fought against the Ottomans. There is evidence of a sizeable Maniot emigration to Corsica sometime during the Ottoman years.
The last bey of Mani, Petros Mavromichalis, was among the leaders of the Greek War of Independence. He proclaimed the revolution at Areopoli on March 17, 1821. The Maniots contributed greatly to the struggle, but once Greek independence was won they wanted to retain their local autonomy. During the reign of Ioannis Kapodistrias, they violently resisted outside interference to the point of killing Kapodistrias.
The Mani's local autonomy was abolished in 1870, and the area gradually became a backwater as the inhabitants abandoned the land through emigration. It was not until the 1970s, when new roads led to the growth of the tourist industry, that the Mani began to regain population and become prosperous. Maniots were known for their obstinate character, conservative views, sometimes extreme frugality, and their zealous safeguarding of the family property.
Despite the region's aridity, Mani is known for its unique culinary products such as glina or syglino (pork or pork sausage smoked with aromatic herbs such as thyme, oregano, mint, etc. and stored in lard along with orange peel). Mani is also known for probably the world's best extra-virgin olive oil, soft-pressed from partially ripened olives of the Koroneiki variety that are organically grown on mountain terraces. The local honey is also of superior quality.
Today the Mani's coastal villages are full of cafés and souvenir shops. The peninsula attracts visitors for its Byzantine churches, Frankish castles, secluded sandy beaches and stunning scenery. Some popular beaches during the summer are Kalogria beach and the beaches by Stoupa harbor, while Kardamyli and Agios Nikolaos have nice pebble and sand beaches too. Furthermore, the famous towers of Mani (pyrgospita) are significant tourist attractions, and some offer accommodations for visitors. The Diros stalactite and stalagmite caves, near Oitylo, are also a popular tourist destination; they are partly underwater and visitors tour them in gondola-like boats.
Gytheio, Areopoli, Kardamyli and Stoupa are filled with tourists during the summer months but the region quiets down during the winter months. Many inhabitants are still working as olive farmers, and thus many of the winter months are devoted to the olive harvest. Some of the villages in the mountains are less touristic and often have very few inhabitants. Mani is considered to be one of the most traditionalist and conservative regions of Greece, and is a stronghold of the right-wing New Democracy party.
There were fires in Mani in the summer of 2007.
See also
Further reading
- Patrick Leigh Fermor, (1958). Mani, Travels in the Southern Peloponnese. London: John Murray. Reissued in paperback 2004, ISBN 0-7195-6691-6.
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